Hong Kong Rugby Premiership: Kowloon see off Scottish in scrappy opening encounter
- Low-scoring affair, which Kowloon won 11-5, is ultimately decided by a James Piercy try three minutes from time
- ‘That will take a little pressure off … but now we’ve got to be a lot better on the rugby front going forward,’ coach Joe Barker says
After Hong Kong Football Club and Sandy Bay made clear statements of intent with comfortable wins on the opening day of the Premiership season, HK Scottish and Kowloon were involved in a slightly scrappier encounter on Saturday.
The low-scoring affair, which Kowloon won 11-5, was ultimately decided by a James Piercy try three minutes from time. The fact it came after HK Scottish wing Eliesa Kaleca Rauca dropped the ball inside his own 22 when facing empty space out wide largely summed up the occasion.
Two sides who had “difficult off-seasons” came into the last game of the day with varying degrees of expectation weighing on their shoulders.
For Scottish, victory over defending champions Football Club in a preseason clash the weekend before had raised questions about how far they might go this season.
Kowloon, meanwhile, like many clubs, have experienced a loss of personnel through players retiring, leaving the city entirely, or joining other sides.
So depleted were their ranks, that coach Joe Barker was unable to name a full squad of 23 and had to play 80 minutes, a week after getting 11 stitches in a cut above his left eye in his side’s final warm-up match.
Barker, who scored a drop goal to put his side 6-5 up midway through the second half, called it “a hell of a result”.
“It was scrappy at times, but round 1 is always going to be scrappy,” he said.
It took 23 minutes for the first points to be scored, with Kowloon’s Dylan White kicking a penalty.
Scottish went in 5-3 ahead after Dean Squire’s impressive finish in the left corner. Squire reacted quickest to a chip over the top from scrum half Thomas Wilson and touched the ball down with just inches to spare.
Barker said his forwards had laid the foundation for the win, and praised Kowloon’s defensive mindset.
“I thought the lads really put a big shift in, and if you’ve got that you’ve always got a good chance of winning,” he said.
For Barker, the overriding emotion though was relief at getting the first game out of the way, especially as at one point he was not sure if he would even be able to field a team.
“There was a lot of pressure on us to get going, and that will take a little pressure off on that side of things, but now we’ve got to be a lot better on the rugby front going forward.”
With three more players expected to get clearance this week, the Kowloon coach is hoping to have a full squad for Saturday’s game against USRC Tigers.
“Hopefully we can get a full bench,” he said. “It would be very nice if I didn’t have to play 80 minutes.”
